Aerosol dispenser



July 13,- l965 o. F. vAN BRocKLlN 3,194,450

AEROSOL DISPENSER Filed NOV. 15, 1963 FIG. l.

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United States Patent O 3,194,450 AEROSOL DISPENSER Owen F. VanBroclrlin, Baldwin, NX., assignor to lScovill Manufacturing Company,Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Nov. 15, 1963, Ser.No. 323,957 6 Claims. (Cl. 222-394) The present invention relates toaerosol dispensers of the type commonly called aerosol bombs of the typewherein a vapor tap is not used and aims to provide certain improvementstherein.

Aerosol dispensers of the character set forth usually consist of acontainer for fluid under super-atmospheric pressure and provided with amanually operable valve means which is biased to seal a dischargeopening in the top of the container and with a dip tube extending from a-valve housing to the bottom of the container, the relationship of partsbeing such that upon unseating the valve by finger pressure on anoperating button or actuator, the liquid component in the receptaclewill pass up through the dip tube into the valve housing, then throughthe open valve and out through a discharge opening in the button as anaerosol spray. In such devices when the dispenser is operated in anupright or other position in which the inner end of the dip tube isimmersed in the liquid in the container, the discharge will becontinuous. however, when the discharge is to take place with thecontainer in an upside down position or in a position where the innerend ofthe dip tube is not immersed in the liquid, the discharge ceaseswhen the liquid in the dip tube is expended which requires but two orthree seconds. v

For certain aerosol applications, for example in spraying an insecticidealong a floor edge or baseboard of a room, the container must beheld ineither an inverted position or at an angle of not more than 90 to thefloor, and in such applications it would be desirable to increase thetime of duration of discharge to about ten to fifteen seconds.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide anaerosol dispenser which can be operated in an inverted position or atangles less than 90 to be horizontal for 4periods longer than ispossible with conventional aerosol dispensers in common use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a dispenser of thecharacter set forth which is not dependent for its operation on anyspecific construction of valve in the dispenser.

The Yforegoing and other objects of the invention not specificallyenumerated, are accomplished by providing an aerosol dispensercomprising, in combination, a container for liquid undersuper-atmospheric pressure, having a valved outlet housing closing thetop of the container and means providing a supplemental reservoir forliquid in the dispenser consisting of a rst tube closed at its inner endextending from the valved outlet housing downwardly .into the containerand a second tube of smaller diameter than the rst tube, the inner endof said second tube being in open communication with the interior of thecontainer at its bottom and the other end of said second tube openinginto said rst tube in proximity to its outer end. The invention will bebetter understood from the detailed description which follows whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawing and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diametrical axial sectional view of a dispenser embodyingthe invention showing the ilow path of the contents on discharge whenthe dispenser is held in an upright position;

FIG. 2 is an axial view of the dispenser showing the relationship ofparts and flow path of the contents on disr. lC

charge when the dispenser is held in an inverted position;

FIG. 3 is an axial view of the dispenser showing the relationship ofparts and flow path of the contents on discharge when the dispenser isheld in a substantially hor-izontal position.

Referring to the drawing, the aerosol dispenser illustrated may be saidto be of conventional design, except for the novel means which provide asupplemental reservoir for liquid within the container for extending theduration of continuous discharge of aerosol when the dispenser isoperated while being held in an inverted or substantially upside downposition.

As is conventional, the dispenser consists of a container 1) having aclosed bottom 12 and a closed top 14 which latter carries a valvedoutlet assembly 16 consisting of a housing 18 containing a spring biasedValve (not shown) having a valve stem 20 provided with a button or valveactuator 22, thehousing 16 also having a depending nipple 24 all ofwhich parts may be of any preferred construction.

Mounted on the assembly 16 and preferably carried by the nipple 24 is amea'ns 26 providing a supplemental reservoir for liquid in the dispenserand utilizable for prolonging the duration of discharge of aerosol fromthe dispenser when it is operated while being held in an inverted orsubstantially upside down position.

The means 26 as shown consist of a rst or dip tube 28, a second tube 30of smaller diameter than the dip tube positioned within said dip tube, abushing 32 within the upper or outer end of the dip tube and a plug 34closing the lower or innerend of the dip tube. The means 26 is of alength to extend from the housing 18 to the bottom of the container andis preferably formed as a separate assembly or unit adapted forattachment to the housing 18. The plug 34 is preferably hollow andformed at its inner end with a nipple 36 which has a central perforationor passage therethrough which establishes open communication between theinterior of the second tube 30 and the interior of the container throughradial grooves 38 in an annular lip or flange 40 at the opposite end ofthe plug.

The second tube 3i) has its inner end attached to the nipple 36 and itsouter end terminating short of the outer end of the dip tube. Ifdesired, the bushing in the outer end of the dip tube may be omitted andsaid tube attached directly to the exterior of the housing 1S.

The container 10 may be charged with active ingredients and propellantin any conventional manner. When so charged, the liquid will be forcedup into the second or smaller tube, through the grooves 38 and nipple36, and overow into the dip tube to lill it to the height of the secondtube. The dip tube will thereby provide a supplemental reservoir forliquid.

Operation-When the charged dispenser is held in a substantially uprightposition, or in any position where the inner end of the plug 34 isimmersed in the liquid in the container and the liquid has ingress tothe second tube, operation of the actuator button 22 will provide acontinuous aerosol discharge through said button. This is illustrated bythe arrows in FIG. l. When the dispenser is held in inverted position,as shown in FIG. 2 or in a position where the exposed end of the plug 34is not immersed in the liquid in the container, operation of theactuator button will provide a continuous discharge of the liquidcontained in the second tube plus the liquid in the reservoir asillustrated by the arrows in FIGS. 2 and 3. The duration of suchdischarge will depend upon the volumetric capacity of the supplementalreservoir provided by the dip tube and the volumetric capacity of thesecond tube, whereas with conventional types of aerosol dispensers theduration of discharge when the de- T9 vice is operated in invertedposition will be limited to the volumetric capacity of the conventiona-ldip tube.

Although I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of theinvention, it is to be understood that the specic construction andassembly of parts,'and especially of the means for providing asupplemental reservoir for liquid Within a dispenser for extending'theduration of discharge of the aerosol from such dispenser when held ininverted position, may be varied within the range of mechanical andengineering skill without departing from the spirit ofthe invention ashereinafter claimed.

What I claim is: v

1. An aerosol dispenser comprising, yin combination, a container forliquid under super-atmospheric pressure, a valved outlet assemblyclosing ythe top of I the container, a dip tube Closed atits inner endattached to the outlet assembly and yextending downwardly therefrom tothe bottom of the container and a second tube of smaller diameter thanthe dip tube within said dip tube, the innerY end of said second tubebeing in open communication with the container at its bottom through theinner end of the dip tube and the outer end of rsaid second tube openinginto said dip tube in proximity to its outer end.

2. An aerosol dispenser according to claim l, wherein the volumetriccapacity of 'thedip tube is substantially greater than that of thesecond tube.

3. An aerosol dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the valved outletassembly has an inwardly extending nipple, the dip tube vis fitted ontosaid bushing, the inner end of said dip tube has a perforatedclosurethrough which the inner end of the second tube is connected tothe dip tube and the outer end of `the second tube terminates short ofsaid bushing.

4. For use in an areosol dispenser of the type including a container anda valved outlet assembly closing the top of the container and having anopen inner, end, of means for providing a supplemental reservoir forliquid within a bushing engages said nipple, the outer end of thedispenser for extending the duration of discharge of f aerosol from suchdispenser when held in inverted position with the valve of the assemblyopen, said means comprising a unit consisting of an open ended rst tubethe top end of which isof a size to be attached to the open inner end ofsuch valved outlet assembly and the bottom end of which has a'perforatedclosure, an open endedsecond tube of substantially smaller diameter'thanthe irst tube within, carried by and providing fluid communicationWithrsaid perforated'closure and extending upwardly from said closureand terminating at its upper end in inwardly spaced relation tothe topend of the first tube, Y

5. For usein an aerosol dispenser of thetype including a container and avalved outlet assembly closing the top of the container and having anopeninner end, of means for providing a supplemental reservoir forliquid within the kdispenser, for extending the time ofdischarge ofaerosol from such dispenser when held ininverted.

position with the valve of the assembly open, said means comprising aunit consisting of an openrended dip tube the top end of which isy of; asize to be attached to the open Vinner end of such valved outletassembly and the bottom end of which has mounted therein aV hollow plugformed with a nipple extending into `said, dip tube, a tube ofsubstantially smaller diameter than the dip tube within said dip tubeand having one endvmounted onsaid nipple and its other end terminatingshort of the top end of the dip tube to provide open lfluidcommunication therewith. 6. A means Vaccording to `claim 5 wherein theVouter end of the rdip tube is tted with a bushing adapted to engageover a nipple on a valved outlet assembly. Y

References vCited the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Malakoff et al.222--394 RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Primary Examiner. Y

1. AN AEROSOL DISPENSER COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A CONTAINER FORLIQUID UNDER SUPER-ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, A VALVED OUTLET ASSEMBLYCLOSING THE TOP OF THE CONTAINER, A DIP TUBE CLOSED AT ITS INNER ENDATTACHED TO THE OUTLET ASSEMBLY AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM TOTHE BOTTOM OF THE CONTAINER AND A SECOND TUBE OF SMALLER DIAMETER THANTHE DIP TUBE WITHIN SAID DIP TUBE, THE INNER END OF SAID SECOND TUBEBEING IN OPEN COMMUNICATION WITH THE CONTAINER AT ITS BOTTOM THROUGH THEINNER END OF THE DIP TUBE AND THE OUTER END OF SAID SECOND TUBE OPENINGINTO SAID DIP TUBE IN PROMIXITY TO ITS OUTER END.